The present invention relates to a device or appliance which has been found to alleviate arthritic pain by the application of uniform compression to the affected area, combined with an insulative, heat retentive effect. Prior art devices of a construction similar to the present device have been known in the athletic and surgical arts, and generally consists of a web or the like of elastic material, such as the well-known Ace bandage or variants thereof. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 663,749 to Gorse discloses a knee brace made of stretchable fabric formed into front and rear pieces and having a different weave for the fore and aft portions of the affected body area, typically a knee or elbow joint as mentioned. Such a construction provides different compression at the front and rear sides of the joint, primarily so that the bandage will more easily remain in place, or "ride" with the wearer.
There are many known-devices of linear or tubular construction which are adapted to be used as supports for various body joints such as knees and elbows. Among such devices, there are known tubular bandages such as that disclosed by Rosenfield in U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,288, and linear devices suitable for wrapping about the affected area as disclosed by e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,525 to Dragan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,238 to McGuire and U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,084 to Lehman. In general, these devices are not designed for heat retention or for applying uniform compression to the affected area. When such a bandage is concerned with allowing flexure of the joint, it is typical to provide means for allowing the bandage to "ride" with the joint without sagging or being displaced from the joint. In such cases, as exemplified by the previously noted patent to Gorse, uniform compression and heat retention are sacrificed for the ability of the bandage to be more easily worn by the wearer. In other cases, it is desired to make the affected joint substantially immobile, such as in the case of bone breakage or muscle or ligament damage. In such devices, compression is a key element in the design of the device, although flexibility is generally sacrificed and heat retention is not a factor.
Devices of the type disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,978 to Palumbo provide suitable compression to the affected area, but this compression is not uniform inasmuch as it is desired to support particular muscular masses. Braces such as that disclosed by this patent are useful only for one specific bodily area, as they are specifically designed with the musculature in this region in mind. Further, bandages of this type do not provide any heat retentive effect except of an incidental nature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,239 to Masso Remiro describes a covering element comprised of a layer of ribbed, knitted fabric, which is covered by a thin, non-permeable layer of rubber. The rubber material forms a vapor barrier, while the ribbing in the knitted material allows for the slow passage of air therethrough and creates a massaging action. Although the device claims a degree of body heat retention, the skin is still in contact with the air through the channels formed between the ribs. Also, the rubber layer does not permit the evaporation of moisture, which is thus accumulated on the inside of the bandage.
The Kaplan patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,115,879 and 3,421,503, relate to support devices generally made up of a plurality of elastic bodies arranged in side by side fashion and stitched together so as to allow expansion in the length direction of the support. The individual elastic webs forming the supports are stretchable in their longitudinal direction, but not in their width direction, and the stitching holding the webs together is likewise arranged so as to permit longitudinal expansion but limit the formatio of gaps between webs in the width direction. The space between adjacent webs is left open, and one or more openings in the device may be created in order to allow easy flexure of the joint in the region of the affected area. No particular heat retentive effect is attained or promoted by these devices.